City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council discuss enhanced programming on the City’s
Government Access Channel (CCTV 35) and direct staff as deemed appropriate.
BACKGROUND:
On December 22, 2008 the City Council discussed a proposed policy which would
allow the City to more fully utilize its Government Access Channel (GAC). Currently,
GAC broadcasts live meetings of the City Council, the Redevelopment Agency, and
the Commissions Under the proposed policy, the use of the GAC would be
expanded to include an electronic bulletin board as well as original programming
developed for the City. The GAC would be used to replay the live meetings already
broadcast and, ultimately, provide for an expanded playlist of programming in Tier II
and Tier III.
The City Council adopted the proposed policy and staff is working to implement Tier
I of the new policy which provides (as excerpted from the December 22, 2008 staff
report:
Tier I (1 - 12 months)
Staff proposes to begin expanded use of the GAC with the periodic rebroadcast of
City Council, Agency, and Commission meetings. Additionally, once the rebroadcast
schedule is stable, programming developed by Culver City (Art of Speaker’s Series,
Council/Agency meeting playbacks etc.) would be included in the broadcast rotation.
Electronic bulletin board notices will be developed utilizing existing PowerPoint tools
and could be implemented with current staffing resources. Additionally, the first tier
Meeting Date: 01/26/09 Item Number: A-1
AGENDA ITEM: Discussion Regarding Enhanced Programming on the City’s
Government Access Channel (CCTV 35) and Direction to Staff.
Contact Person/Dept.: Martin Cole
Elaine Gerety Warner
Phone Number: 310.253.6107
310.253.5777
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification: Master E-Mail Notification List (01/21/09); Advertisement in Culver
City Observer (01/21/09).
Department Approval:
Martin R. Cole ()
City Attorney Approval:
Carol Schwab (by R. Miranda) (01/21/09)
Chief Financial Officer Approval:
Jeff Muir (by M. Noller) (01/21/09)
City Manager Approval:
Jerry B. Fulwood (01/21/09) City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
would focus on streamlining technical execution, developing title listing with Time
Warner and managing the current playback system. This tier may also allow for
some limited airing of programs developed by other municipalities as approved by
the City Manager. Given that the channel would not be airing a full flight of
programs, it is recommended that programming be available during select hours
such as from 10:00 AM to 10 PM. It is proposed that this tier would be in effect for
approximately twelve months.
During discussion of the policy, the City Council also expressed a desire for
additional information on Tier II and Tier III programming and fiscal impacts
proposed in the policy. This information is provided this evening for the City
Council’s discussion.
DISCUSSION:
As discussed on December 22, 2008 the GAC is not a public forum but rather
another medium used by the City for official City communications. Therefore,
enhanced programming needs to meet certain requirements to maintain the GAC
nature of CCTV 35.
Further expansion of the programming on the GAC may involve the need for
additional staff or financial resources. In the following paragraphs, staff has
attempted to estimate those additional costs for the Council’s consideration.
The following descriptions of Tier II and Tier III are excerpted from the staff report
from December 22, 2008:
Tier II (12-24 months)
Once the initial stabilization period has been achieved, and financial resources being
available, a more aggressive programming selection could be made available
through other municipalities and government organizations. While there would be
some fees associated with purchasing these programs, several programs from other
municipalities via our membership in SCAN NATOA (SCAN NATOA is the
California/Nevada Chapter of NATOA, a nationwide professional organization
comprised of municipalities and cable television operators), have already been made
available for airing distribution at no cost. In addition, our participation in SCAN
NATOA will also allow the City/Agency to share their original programming with other
communities and expand the outreach of programming. During this tier, staff may
request additional budget resources to inform the community of new programming
as well as to create pilot programs of major City events such as the Culver City
Music Festival, ArtWalk, and feature other department programs and messages City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
such as Fire Safety, Sustainability and Redevelopment activities. It is proposed that
this tier would be in effect for approximately 6-10 months.
Tier III (24 - 36 months)
As CCTV 35 becomes more established and resources are available and allocated,
staff will bring forward refined programming recommendations to the City Council for
consideration that may include covering major events taking place throughout the
City such as Little League Championships, events/programs from the Visual and
Performing Arts Academy, and general news programming.
Additional Fiscal Information Related to Tier II and Tier III
As noted, certain programs are available though SCAN NATOA at no cost. A listing
of programs which may be considered for broadcast is included in Attachment 1.
Once the operation of the equipment for replays is confirmed to be reliable and
stable, the integration of programs from SCAN NATOA which meet the requirements
of the Policy can be integrated at little cost. Should the City Council determine it
wishes staff to proceed more quickly with implementation of this type of
programming, it may be necessary to obtain the services of a consultant to assist
staff with operating the equipment. Applying the current hourly rate of our existing
video consultant as a guide ($40/hour) and estimating 40 hours of time, the resulting
cost is $1,600. The cost of programming would range from $0 to $2,000, dependent
upon the source of programming.
Tier III would involve a level of programming which has the potential of significant
costs. If the City Council desired the video and audio capture and re-broadcast of
events such as Little League Championships, Visual and Performing Arts Academy
performances, and similar programs, the City would need to hire a filming crew
consisting of between two and five persons. Using the City’s current video
consultant would cost $120/hour. Also, the City would either need to purchase video
equipment (estimated at between $5,000 and $10,000) or hire a filming crew that
provides its own equipment. In that case, it is estimated the above hourly rate would
increase to $200-300/hour. For a three hour performance, the direct costs would be
between $600 and $750, plus any necessary post production work to prepare the
“raw footage” for broadcast. At this time, the Agency has a contract with a
production company to edit and post produce the Art of Speaker’s series. The cost
for this production, to include a separate interview segment, B-roll, music and
opening closing credits is approximately $2,200.
Tier III also provides an opportunity for the City to provide its own general news
programming. Currently, the City does not have its own production facilities. Nor is
there sufficiently qualified staff to manage all the elements of producing, hosting, City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
filming and editing such programming. The City Council could determine to provide
for in-house production facilities to include dedicated space and associated
audio/visual equipment. The cost, depending on the level of effort, could be in the
tens of thousands of dollars. Alternatively, if the City Council determined it wished to
pursue this level of programming, it may wish to direct staff to prepare and issue a
Request for Proposals to companies with both facilities and personnel to provide the
necessary services. Costs for such an agreement are difficult to estimate at this
time but are estimated to be in the tens of thousands of dollars dependent upon the
type and frequency of programming desired.
Should the City Council wish to pursue these enhanced programming options, staff
would recommend the preparation and release of a Request for Proposals for filming
crew and/or production facilities.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
As with the initial proposal, it is staff’s recommendation to take a conservative
approach in the enhancement of the GAC. Costs for implementation of the Tier I
phase can be accommodated within the existing work plan and budget and would
not require additional resources.
Progression to Tier II and Tier III may cost significantly more money depending on
the approach and strategy. Tier II costs would be primarily related to securing
additional programming created for municipalities and compliant with the Policy.
Initially, costs for Tier II could be up to $2,000. Tier III costs would encompass
filming and production expenses to feature original and Culver City created
programming. The costs for Tier III would also depend on the resources available at
implementation, the desire to develop in-house facility operation or hire external
consultants and contractors. A ballpark estimate, for the development of 10 new
shows per year could range between $25,000 and $35,000. Staff does not
recommend exploring Tier III until the economic climate is more conducive to such
an endeavor.
ATTACHMENTS:
1) SCANNATOA Programming from other municipalities
MOTION:
That the City Council: City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
1) Receive and file this report; and,
2) Direct staff as deemed appropriate.
MEETING DATE: January 26, 2009
AGENDA ITEM: Discussion Regarding Enhanced Programming on the
City’s Government Access Channel (CCTV 35) and
Direction to Staff.
ATTACHMENTS
Pages
1) Programming Clusters 1
Attachment 1
Programming Clusters
Through the City’s membership in SCAN NATOA, staff has collected and received a
number of free programming from other municipalities that were developed for
government access channels. Some of this programming may require a fee for additional
episode selections (*). Below, please find some of the programming already
collected/received by programming cluster.
Sustainable/Earth
California Green
California’s Water
US Department of Agriculture – Partners
Magazine (CSREES) – Programs
Earthtalk Today
Straight from the Tap
Regional/Informational
Pulse of the Port – Overview of Long Beach
Port
American Democracy Television – non
partisan
US Department of Education – Foreign
Languages/Math
Metro Motion
Exercise
Feeling Fit Club
Jazzercise
Music
Java Jams
Jazz Notes
Live at the Ford
Music in the Council Chambers
Hobbies
Art
Art Studio
Give Your Walls Some Soul
Books
Connie Martinson – Talks Books
Between the Lines – Barry Kibrick
Cars
Vintage Vechile Show
Cooking
Sam the Cooking Guy (*)
You’re the Chef
Community Cooking
Dance
Learn to Dance with Elegance (Senior)
Gardening
Garden Wise Guys (*)
Down to Earth
Talk Shows/Speaker’s
Presentations
Coffee Break (Medical)
Art of…
CCTV 35